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International Space Station/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim and Moby observe a space shuttle launch. TIM: Whoa. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, what is the International Space Station? From, Traci. We just saw some of its crew take off. The International Space Station is a space exploration and research platform. It's orbiting more than 200 miles above us right now! An animation shows the International Space Station orbiting the earth. TIM: One of the coolest things about it is that it's, well, international. Sixteen countries joined up to build it: Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States all lent a hand. An image shows Earth covered with the flags of each country Tim names. TIM: It's about the size of a football field and has a mass of more than 400,000 kilograms. An animation shows details of and then an overhead view of the space station orbiting Earth. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, no rocket can lift all that weight, so it was put together piece by piece. The first parts of the ISS were launched back in 1998, the Russian-built Zarya Cargo Block and the American Unity Node. An animation shows these two parts floating in outer space. TIM: The Zarya was originally all there was, so it housed everything, from guidance, propulsion, and electrical equipment, to two large solar arrays. Today, it's used mostly for storage. The Zarya is highlighted. TIM: Unity was designed as a large connecting dock, and that's how it's still used. Unity is highlighted. TIM: Next up was the Russian Zvezda Service Module in 2000. Zvezda provides life support systems and living quarters for two people. The image shows Zvezda added to Zarya and Unity. Zvezda is highlighted. TIM: A bunch of other parts were added later, including some trusses, or connecting structures, the U.S. Destiny laboratory, and the Canadian Canadarm2, a huge robotic arm that helps build and maintain the ISS. The animation shows the parts Tim describes being added to the original three parts. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Yeah. After the breakup of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003, construction to the ISS was seriously delayed, and the plans for some modules had to be scrapped. But flights on the station resumed after a few years. In 2008, the Kibo, or Japanese Experiment Module, and the European Columbus research module were added. And in 2009, the last of the big four solar arrays was connected. An image shows the Kibo and Columbus modules. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Currently, astronauts come and go in shifts of six months or so. An image shows an astronaut looking out of the spaceship's window. TIM: There's no air up there, so they have to bring their own. It's supplied by a generator that splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Since the end of the American shuttle program in 2011, astronauts have relied on Russian spacecraft to reach the station. An animation shows a Russian spacecraft above Earth. TIM: The station is now complete after many years of effort. And rotating crews of astronauts are living onboard, handling repairs, and performing experiments. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, many of the experiments have to do with low-gravity conditions. On the earth's surface we feel a pretty strong force of gravity. It's what keeps us from flying off into space. On the space station it's less than one-millionth of that, so scientists call it microgravity! An animation shows the space station orbiting Earth. TIM: Experiments run on the station help us understand gravity's role in biological, chemical, and physical processes. Images of a microscope, an atom, and a potted plants illustrate the processes Tim names. TIM: And just as important, they're learning the ins and outs of living and working in space. An animation shows astronauts floating in the space station. TIM: This'll pave the way for future space stations, piloted space missions, and maybe even colonies on other planets. Images illustrate the future projects that Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, me too; Moby. Tim and Moby are looking up at the space shuttle traveling through the sky. TIM: Hey! Good luck up there. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Engineering & Technology Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Science Transcripts